S’pore to tighten demerit points system, lower alcohol limits amid surge in road traffic deaths

She also said penalties should be higher in cases where a driver puts another person in danger on purpose, and that this will be studied with a view to introducing a new offence to tackle such behaviour, with a higher maximum penalty.

Ms Sim said it is possible to achieve zero road fatalities, and Singapore should aim for this.

She noted that Finland’s capital Helsinki recorded zero road fatalities during a one-year period from July 2024 to July 2025.

The Nordic country is a strong proponent of Vision Zero, which aims to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries.

The idea of zero road deaths was

.

Ms Sim said: “There is no reason why we cannot aspire to zero road fatalities here in Singapore. But it requires collective recognition that our road culture needs to change.”

She said that if one asks any group of road users, they would likely say the problem is with the others.

“When we talk to drivers, they will point out that motorcyclists or cyclists or pedestrians are at fault. If we talk to motorcyclists, we are likely to be told that it is the drivers who are the problem, and so on and so forth,” she said.

“It can be all too easy to disregard traffic rules or the needs of other road users, especially when we are rushing for time. Giving way does not seem to come as naturally to us as making sure that we do not concede any advantage to other road users. Can we do better?”

She said all road users, like drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists, mobility device users and pedestrians, will have to be part of the change.

She also spoke about how the Home Team will be leveraging technology to

and evolving security challenges.

The Singapore Prison Service will be trialling a robot in the first quarter of 2026, to support officers during patrols and yard supervision, she said.

Named Protect, the robot is able to patrol autonomously and can be remotely operated to handle potential hazards during incidents.

For the Singapore Civil Defence Force, Ms Sim said it will be rolling out SG Alert from May. This is a dedicated mass emergency alert system that can broadcast emergency alerts to mobile phones islandwide, or within specific geographical zones.

No additional app download is needed to receive such notifications.

Ms Sim also spoke about new Home Team initiatives involving artificial intelligence.

The Central Narcotics Bureau’s NarcoNet is an AI platform that helps with investigations by making sense of evidence and preparing the necessary documents.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s Matrix helps examine documents and extract data, with AI easing manual checks of documents submitted to the authority.

Ms Sim gave an update on

that helps the public lodge clearer police reports.

She said that since its roll-out in October 2025, over 90 per cent of users have given positive feedback, and so it will be rolled out to more kiosks by mid-2026.

R-Cop and other police technologies have led to the merging of several neighbourhood police centres as resources are redeployed more efficiently.

Ms Sim said there are plans for more such mergers.

She said that while the Home Team presses ahead with AI, it is mindful that AI solutions must be trustworthy and delivered responsibly.

As such, the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) will develop a proof of concept for a centralised AI governance testing and monitoring platform this year to automate AI governance checks.

has grown to 250 as at end-2025, and is on track to reach 400 by end-2026.

Ms Sim said: “The Home Team increasingly has to do more with less. That is why we must fully exploit the opportunities today’s technology affords us. Doing so allows us to maintain high levels of effectiveness, to continue to keep Singapore safe and secure.”